Bradan Donaldson
Larry and Carol Watkins, long-time members of the National Corvette Museum, graciously donated their 1996 Corvette Grand Sport – 1 of only 5 built
The 1996 Corvette Grand Sport has always held a special place in my heart and now, an extremely rare one has been graciously donated to the National Corvette Museum by Larry and Carol Wakins.
From Mariah Huges – National Corvette Museum:
Larry and Carol Watkins, long-time members of the National Corvette Museum, graciously donated their 1996 Grand Sport Corvette Coupe. At the key hand-off ceremony, Museum’s Director of Collections/Curator Derek Moore shared that it was a happy day because “donations like this help us achieve our goals and our mission here at the Museum.”
When the Watkins were looking for their ’96 Grand Sport, they found some available at Roger’s Corvette Center in Orlando, Florida. Instead of making the trip to look at the car themselves, the Watkins used a third-party service to evaluate and test the 96 Grand Sport they were considering. Based on the report it appeared to be a great car, so Larry and Carol decided to go through with the transaction. This ’96 Corvette is very special as there are only five other cars like it. All six Corvettes were equipped with the same combination of Regular Production Options, making the Watkins’ Grand Sport coupe a true limited edition. Even though there weren’t as many customization options as there are today, there were still enough to make this Grand Sport extra unique.
One year, the Watkins took their ’96 Grand Sport to Corvettes at Carlisle, where a few young men thanked them for bringing the car to the show. That moment made Larry and Carol realize how much people would appreciate seeing their ’96 Grand Sport Corvette. The Watkins felt that donating their car to the Museum would allow more people to see it and admire its noteworthy place in Corvette history.
Source: National Corvette Museum
